Windows Upgrade install

[Robin Bignall]

I've tried on several occasions to run an upgrade install of Win7U on
itself. I did it because I thought I might have screwed something during
the original install. After checking compatibility the run settles down
into 5 phases, and am warned that it will take several hours.

The first two phases run fine; the third is expanding Windows modules,
which stops soon because it says it cannot reboot the system. (Which is
strange because shutdown/restart works perfectly.)

Then it throws away everything it's done and tells me to start again.

The chances of me ever getting it to work appear slim. What therefore
of my chance that an upgrade Win7U to Win8Pro will ever work?

 

[The Razor's Edge]

Assuming you have backed up all your data, I would first run a disk check,
through the bios preferably and then format the disk doing an upgrade
install of Windows 7 using your upgrade disk but don't authenticate. There
is a message to that effect earlier in this group because I had a problem
with authentication and doing the install twice, first without
authentication and then second to authenticate worked fine.

 

[Big Steel]

I've tried on several occasions to run an upgrade install of Win7U on
itself. I did it because I thought I might have screwed something during
the original install. After checking compatibility the run settles down
into 5 phases, and am warned that it will take several hours.

The first two phases run fine; the third is expanding Windows modules,
which stops soon because it says it cannot reboot the system. (Which is
strange because shutdown/restart works perfectly.)

Then it throws away everything it's done and tells me to start again.

The chances of me ever getting it to work appear slim. What therefore
of my chance that an upgrade Win7U to Win8Pro will ever work?

When going to a newer version of the O/S platform, I wipe the HD clean
and do the install of the new operating system to eliminate any problems
that could happen due to the previous O/S being there that is messed-up
trying to upgrade over it. That's a standard practice I was taught.

Not ever having used Win 8 as of yet, I thought it would be vastly
different that you couldn't do an upgrade over an existing version of
Windows O/S that was on the machine.

 

[The Razor's Edge]

However, doing an over the top upgrade is a messy business and any problems
you may have had before might jump up and bite you later.

To do a complete new install, complete with all applications only takes less
than a day and well worth the effort spent.

 

[...winston]

You were trying to upgrade Win7 Ultimate on itself ?
i.e. attempting to upgrade Win7 Ultimate to Win 7 Ultimate

If so, why ?

Also note, unlike Windows 7 which provided the Upgrade Advisor as a stand-alone download package, no such thing is available as
download for Windows 8. The upgrade/compatibility checker is part of the Windows 8 installation.
If you purchase an upgrade online you'll have the opportunity to run the upgrade/compatibility analysis prior to payment.

Also note...the Windows 8 licensing is different than Win7 and recently revised. The snippet below addresses 'upgrade' rights.

c.f. The Windows 8 licensing agreement
<qp>
The software covered by this agreement is an upgrade to your existing operating system software, so the upgrade replaces the
original software that you are upgrading. You do not retain any rights to the original software after you have upgraded and you may
not continue to use it or transfer it in any way.
</qp>

--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"Robin Bignall" wrote in message
I've tried on several occasions to run an upgrade install of Win7U on
itself. I did it because I thought I might have screwed something during
the original install. After checking compatibility the run settles down
into 5 phases, and am warned that it will take several hours.

The first two phases run fine; the third is expanding Windows modules,
which stops soon because it says it cannot reboot the system. (Which is
strange because shutdown/restart works perfectly.)

Then it throws away everything it's done and tells me to start again.

The chances of me ever getting it to work appear slim. What therefore
of my chance that an upgrade Win7U to Win8Pro will ever work?

 

[Big Steel]

You were trying to upgrade Win7 Ultimate on itself ?
i.e. attempting to upgrade Win7 Ultimate to Win 7 Ultimate

If so, why ?

Because that can fix an O/S problem and leave the data on the HD intact
by doing a upgrade over the top of the existing O/S with the same
version of the O/S that's running on the machine - a repair of the O/S.

Upgrade over the top is known repair solution for O/S problems.

 

[Ken Blake]

However, doing an over the top upgrade is a messy business and any problems
you may have had before might jump up and bite you later.

To do a complete new install, complete with all applications only takes less
than a day and well worth the effort spent.

I completely disagree. You have to restore all your data backups, you
have to reinstall all your programs, you have to reinstall all the
application updates, you have to locate and install all the needed
drivers for your system, you have to recustomize Windows and all your
apps to work the way you're comfortable with. That may take less than
a day for you, but for some of us--me for example, it takes much
more--typically close to three days.

Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may
have trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs?
Can you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data
backups to restore? Do you even remember all the customizations and
tweaks you may have installed to make everything work the way you
like?


My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind and
reinstall cleanly if problems develop.

 

[Robin Bignall]

You were trying to upgrade Win7 Ultimate on itself ?
i.e. attempting to upgrade Win7 Ultimate to Win 7 Ultimate

If so, why ?

Just as in the case of XP, to refresh the system.

I understand the following about Win8 licensing.

Also note, unlike Windows 7 which provided the Upgrade Advisor as a stand-alone download package, no such thing is available as
download for Windows 8. The upgrade/compatibility checker is part of theWindows 8 installation.
If you purchase an upgrade online you'll have the opportunity to run theupgrade/compatibility analysis prior to payment.

Also note...the Windows 8 licensing is different than Win7 and recently revised. The snippet below addresses 'upgrade' rights.

c.f. The Windows 8 licensing agreement
<qp>
The software covered by this agreement is an upgrade to your existing operating system software, so the upgrade replaces the
original software that you are upgrading. You do not retain any rights to the original software after you have upgraded and you may
not continue to use it or transfer it in any way.
</qp>

That all assumes that the Win7 to Win8 upgrade is actually successful.

 

[Robin Bignall]

I completely disagree. You have to restore all your data backups, you
have to reinstall all your programs, you have to reinstall all the
application updates, you have to locate and install all the needed
drivers for your system, you have to recustomize Windows and all your
apps to work the way you're comfortable with. That may take less than
a day for you, but for some of us--me for example, it takes much
more--typically close to three days.

Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may
have trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs?
Can you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data
backups to restore? Do you even remember all the customizations and
tweaks you may have installed to make everything work the way you
like?
I agree with all of this.

My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind and
reinstall cleanly if problems develop.

There's no intrinsic reason why Win7 shouldn't be able to upgrade
itself. You've already been through all of the compatibility checking
etc. to install it in the first place.

My concern is that Win7 appears not to be able to reboot itself on my
machine during the process, and I understand that installing Win8 on a
running Win7 system must be some sort of upgrade. If it isn't, and M$
expects yet another clean install, then Win8 isn't for me. But if it is
an upgrade, and I have this reboot problem, I'm not going to be able to
install it.

 

[Dave-UK]

My concern is that Win7 appears not to be able to reboot itself on my
machine during the process, and I understand that installing Win8 on a
running Win7 system must be some sort of upgrade. If it isn't, and M$
expects yet another clean install, then Win8 isn't for me. But if it is
an upgrade, and I have this reboot problem, I'm not going to be able to
install it.

Instead of trying to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 7 why don't you
image your Windows 7 to an external drive and then try the upgrade
to Windows 8. If it doesn't work for any reason you have your image
as a back-up.

 

[Dominique]

I've tried on several occasions to run an upgrade install of Win7U on
itself. I did it because I thought I might have screwed something during
the original install. After checking compatibility the run settles down
into 5 phases, and am warned that it will take several hours.

The first two phases run fine; the third is expanding Windows modules,
which stops soon because it says it cannot reboot the system. (Which is
strange because shutdown/restart works perfectly.)

Then it throws away everything it's done and tells me to start again.

The chances of me ever getting it to work appear slim. What therefore
of my chance that an upgrade Win7U to Win8Pro will ever work?

Did I miss something?

Is Windows 8 available for sale?

I thought it was still beta and I wouldn't use a beta to upgrade a released
version, I would do a dual-boot to test it first.

 

[Robin Bignall]

Instead of trying to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 7 why don't you
image your Windows 7 to an external drive and then try the upgrade
to Windows 8. If it doesn't work for any reason you have your image
as a back-up.

That, of course, is my solution.

 

[Robin Bignall]

Did I miss something?

Is Windows 8 available for sale?

I thought it was still beta and I wouldn't use a beta to upgrade a released
version, I would do a dual-boot to test it first.

Amazon are taking pre-orders for delivery October... is it? Yep, Oct
29-31.

 

[Ken Blake]

Did I miss something?

Is Windows 8 available for sale?

I thought it was still beta and I wouldn't use a beta to upgrade a released
version, I would do a dual-boot to test it first.

No, it's not yet available for sale. But it is *not* still a beta.
It's been released, but it's available only to hardware manufacturers
and to those of us with MSDN or Technet subscriptions.

 

[...winston]

General Availability (GA) to the public is scheduled for October 26 2012.

Windows 8 Editions
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/.../04/16/announcing-the-windows-8-editions.aspx

Windows 8 Pro Upgrade Promotion
- pricing available from GA through Jan 31, 2012 only at Windows.com
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/...07/02/upgrade-to-windows-8-pro-for-39-99.aspx
- Upgrade promotion applies to Windows 8 Pro (not the base Windows 8 version)
- Option to purchase backup media (DVD) is an extra $15

Note:
- Retail store pricing for the Win8 Pro upgrade during promotion is $30 higher (it may be much higher post promotion)

- Media Center (ability to play DVD's) is not included in any version but will be available as download (fee based or free option)
and offered via Windows Anytime Upgrade.
* For Windows 8 - fee based add-on since it requires an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro
* For Windows 8 Pro - free downloadable add-on


--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"Dominique" wrote in message

I've tried on several occasions to run an upgrade install of Win7U on
itself. I did it because I thought I might have screwed something during
the original install. After checking compatibility the run settles down
into 5 phases, and am warned that it will take several hours.

The first two phases run fine; the third is expanding Windows modules,
which stops soon because it says it cannot reboot the system. (Which is
strange because shutdown/restart works perfectly.)

Then it throws away everything it's done and tells me to start again.

The chances of me ever getting it to work appear slim. What therefore
of my chance that an upgrade Win7U to Win8Pro will ever work?

Did I miss something?

Is Windows 8 available for sale?

I thought it was still beta and I wouldn't use a beta to upgrade a released
version, I would do a dual-boot to test it first.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Winston.

Thanks for that, but you need to update this line in your boilerplate:

- pricing available from GA through Jan 31, 2012 only at Windows.com

Should be 2013, shouldn't it?

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2012 (Build 16.4.3503.0728)) in Win8 (RTM Ent Eval)


"...winston" wrote in message
General Availability (GA) to the public is scheduled for October 26 2012.

Windows 8 Editions
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/.../04/16/announcing-the-windows-8-editions.aspx

Windows 8 Pro Upgrade Promotion
- pricing available from GA through Jan 31, 2012 only at Windows.com
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/...07/02/upgrade-to-windows-8-pro-for-39-99.aspx
- Upgrade promotion applies to Windows 8 Pro (not the base Windows 8
version)
- Option to purchase backup media (DVD) is an extra $15

Note:
- Retail store pricing for the Win8 Pro upgrade during promotion is $30
higher (it may be much higher post promotion)

- Media Center (ability to play DVD's) is not included in any version but
will be available as download (fee based or free option)
and offered via Windows Anytime Upgrade.
* For Windows 8 - fee based add-on since it requires an upgrade to Windows 8
Pro
* For Windows 8 Pro - free downloadable add-on


--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"Dominique" wrote in message

I've tried on several occasions to run an upgrade install of Win7U on
itself. I did it because I thought I might have screwed something during
the original install. After checking compatibility the run settles down
into 5 phases, and am warned that it will take several hours.

The first two phases run fine; the third is expanding Windows modules,
which stops soon because it says it cannot reboot the system. (Which is
strange because shutdown/restart works perfectly.)

Then it throws away everything it's done and tells me to start again.

The chances of me ever getting it to work appear slim. What therefore
of my chance that an upgrade Win7U to Win8Pro will ever work?

Did I miss something?

Is Windows 8 available for sale?

I thought it was still beta and I wouldn't use a beta to upgrade a released
version, I would do a dual-boot to test it first.

 

[...winston]

RC,
Thanks for catching that.

Yes.. the promotion offer ends Jan, 31, 2013.



--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"R. C. White" wrote in message
Hi, Winston.

Thanks for that, but you need to update this line in your boilerplate:

- pricing available from GA through Jan 31, 2012 only at Windows.com

Should be 2013, shouldn't it?

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2012 (Build 16.4.3503.0728)) in Win8 (RTM Ent Eval)


"...winston" wrote in message
General Availability (GA) to the public is scheduled for October 26 2012.

Windows 8 Editions
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/.../04/16/announcing-the-windows-8-editions.aspx

Windows 8 Pro Upgrade Promotion
- pricing available from GA through Jan 31, 2012 only at Windows.com
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/...07/02/upgrade-to-windows-8-pro-for-39-99.aspx
- Upgrade promotion applies to Windows 8 Pro (not the base Windows 8
version)
- Option to purchase backup media (DVD) is an extra $15

Note:
- Retail store pricing for the Win8 Pro upgrade during promotion is $30
higher (it may be much higher post promotion)

- Media Center (ability to play DVD's) is not included in any version but
will be available as download (fee based or free option)
and offered via Windows Anytime Upgrade.
* For Windows 8 - fee based add-on since it requires an upgrade to Windows 8
Pro
* For Windows 8 Pro - free downloadable add-on


--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"Dominique" wrote in message

I've tried on several occasions to run an upgrade install of Win7U on
itself. I did it because I thought I might have screwed something during
the original install. After checking compatibility the run settles down
into 5 phases, and am warned that it will take several hours.

The first two phases run fine; the third is expanding Windows modules,
which stops soon because it says it cannot reboot the system. (Which is
strange because shutdown/restart works perfectly.)

Then it throws away everything it's done and tells me to start again.

The chances of me ever getting it to work appear slim. What therefore
of my chance that an upgrade Win7U to Win8Pro will ever work?

Did I miss something?

Is Windows 8 available for sale?

I thought it was still beta and I wouldn't use a beta to upgrade a released
version, I would do a dual-boot to test it first.

 

[xfile]

I completely disagree. You have to restore all your data backups, you
have to reinstall all your programs, you have to reinstall all the
application updates, you have to locate and install all the needed
drivers for your system, you have to recustomize Windows and all your
apps to work the way you're comfortable with. That may take less than
a day for you, but for some of us--me for example, it takes much
more--typically close to three days.

Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may
have trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs?
Can you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data
backups to restore? Do you even remember all the customizations and
tweaks you may have installed to make everything work the way you
like?


My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind and
reinstall cleanly if problems develop.

And I completely disagree doing an upgrade install.

One should know that in the world of science and business, one should
avoid betting on his/her luck for important tasks, and doing an upgrade
is betting, solely, on luck.

Theoretically speaking, an upgrade install is faster than a clean
install in terms of installation time, IF everything goes right for the
installation.

But it doesn't take into account for the time spent on troubleshooting
and solving compatibility issues AFTER installation if there was any
problems(which could be short or very long depending on how easy the
problem could be identified), and also the time spent on doing a clean
install if an upgrade install failed or compatibility problems after an
upgrade install couldn't be identified and/or solved.

A clean install may take longer than a smooth problem-free upgrade
install. But one could immediately know if there is any problem when
installing each driver and program, and could immediately determine if
the driver/problem should be skipped or should find an updated version.

By the time a clean install is finished, the system is ready to operate
without any "surprises" waiting to haunt back the user and support
personnel.

In summary, doing an upgrade install is purely based on luck and as far
as I know, computers are based on science not luck.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

In summary, doing an upgrade install is purely based on luck and as far
as I know, computers are based on science not luck.

I'm not so sure that this matches my experience

 

[Gene Wirchenko]

I'm not so sure that this matches my experience

Well, it does match at least one other person's experience. I
read this today:

http://www.infoworld.com/d/data-center/software-updates-the-good-the-bad-and-the-fatal-201896
InfoWorld Home / Data Center / The Deep End
September 10, 2012
Software updates: The good, the bad, and the fatal
Updating software and firmware is often necessary, sometimes
straightforward, and never completely comfortable
By Paul Venezia | InfoWorld

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko